Stuttgart Ready to Pounce

With three matches remaining of the season, Stuttgart have moved within a point of leaders Schalke 04 and could defend their second place in the table if Werder Bremen slip up at Arminia Bielefeld in a match later Sunday.

Meanwhile title-holders Bayern Munich, beaten at home 2-1 by SV Hamburg on Saturday, have slipped out of the picture - now eight points behind Stuttgart in fourth place.

Veh and his Stuttgart players had never considered themselves as title contenders until now, always maintaining their main ambition was perhaps to qualify for the Champions League next season. A first league title since 1992 was never a serious proposition.

But after the tight 1-0 win Saturday at relegation-doomed bottom club Borussia Mönchengladbach, Veh said: "We have the chance to reach first place. It's been a super season which we now want to top."

"Thankless" win puts title in sight

Veh was delighted by his side's "thankless" 1-0 victory at Mönchengladbach, achieved through midfielder Roberto Hilbert's 53rd minute goal. "That was a thankless win," said Veh. "Playing the league's bottom side really puts you under pressure and you feel the expectation to get three points. Gladbach stood up very well in defence and were very hard to break down.

"But after we got the crucial goal, we really turned it on in the second half and were a pleasure to watch," the coach purred.

Stuttgart, who have only led the table once this season, also have the German Cup in their sights after reaching the final against Nuremberg, and an unlikely double is now very much a possibility.

Veh's young team has been under no pressure at all this season -- unlike rivals Bayern or Schalke -- and have impressed in attack where young German striker Mario Gomez and the Brazilian Cacau have scored 25 goals between them.

Pressure taking toll on tightly-packed rivals

Meanwhile their rivals are showing signs of cracking. Schalke slid to a 2-1 defeat at Bochum on Friday, while Werder are out of sorts following a 3-0 defeat against Espanyol in the UEFA Cup on Thursday and news that striker Miroslav Klose has met Bayern Munich officials to sound out a possible transfer.

Schalke coach Mirko Slomka said: "Perhaps it was good that we lost. In any case better than losing on the last day of the season. We have to win our remaining three games and hope that the others also slip up."

Record title-holders Bayern are now writing off a season which seems to be going from bad to worse after a 10th league defeat, at home to a Hamburg side who now look to have pulled themselves out of relegation trouble.

"If I really said what I am thinking then the club would suspend me, so I am keeping my thoughts to myself," said a clearly frustrated goalkeeper Oliver Kahn after the 2-1 defeat.

Bayern's Peruvian Claudio Pizarro gave the home side the lead after 35 minutes, but Hamburg's Dutch midfielder Rafael van der Vaart, who is being courted by Bayern, cancelled out the advantage with a 71st minute goal. HSV's Jose Paolo Guerrero grabbed the 76th-minute winner.

Apoplectic Bayern hierarchy to sell team

Coach Ottmar Hitzfeld was left lamenting a "lack of professional attitude". The Bayern coach added: "The disappointment is huge. We didn't work hard enough and we were not firm enough in attack, while in midfield we lost too many personal battles. Hamburg were more determined and that was the difference."

Bayern's General Manager Uli Hoeness could barely contain his wrath. "All our energy is now going into getting a new team on the pitch next season which will have nothing in common with this team," he said. "This team has had its chance. If you have a whole year to take your chance and don't use it then you don't deserve a second one."

Bayern were jeered off the pitch after another lacklustre display which means the team have missed out on the Champions League - qualifying instead for the UEFA Cup - for the first time since 1996.

"It's clear to everyone that this team needs fresh players and we will get them," said Hoeness. "We have enough money for new players."

According to Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper, Italy striker Luca Toni will be one of the newcomers, but there has so far been no confirmation of the report from Bayern.

Relegation conundrum unraveling

Elsewhere, Hertha Berlin trounced hosts Alemannia Aachen 4-0 to go seventh in the league as Brazilian midfielder Gilberto opened the scoring with a goal after just seven minutes.

Berlin striker Christian Gimenez grabbed a second three minutes after the break to make it 2-0, before Marko Pantelic and Yildiray Basturk grabbed two late goals.

Meanwhile, VfL Wolfsburg drew 1-1 at Nuremberg after Polish midfielder Jacek Krzynowek slotted home a left-footed shot after a 40-metre run on 18 minutes for the guests. But the home side were back level just five minutes later when defender Andreas Wolf headed them on level terms.

Mid-table Hanover had Dutch midfielder Arnold Jan Bruggink's right-footed shot to thank for their opening goal in their 2-1 win at second-from-bottom Mainz 05. And Hanover's Bulgarian midfielder Chavdar Yankov extended their lead to 2-0 with a right-footed shot from a 50th minute corner before Mainz's Egyptian international Mohamed Zidan grabbed a late consolation goal.

Thomas Doll's Borussia Dortmund moved away from the relegation dog-fight after Swiss international Alexander Frei gave them a 2-0 win at home to Eintracht Frankfurt with two well-struck free-kicks either side of half-time.

Saturday's results have cleared the relegation picture somewhat, with Hanover now safe and Hamburg, Bochum and Borussia Dortmund virtually secure.

Mainz, Alemannia Aachen, Arminia Bielefeld and Eintracht Frankfurt are the teams most in danger in joining Mönchengladbach as the two other clubs to go down.